Work in progress: applique flowers

I finished the applique on the panel I'm adding to my zigzag table runner/topper. I really envisioned this as hand applique, but when it came down to it, raw edge was just quicker and I want this project finished and on my desk! 

I should have shortened the stitch on my machine for these, but failed to realize that before completely sewing one flower, and I didn't want them to look different, so there are a few wonky spots when you look real close like this. 

You probably won't see this project again until it's complete. I'm attempting to be more monogamous in my quilting (do you just love that term? I can't even tell you where I heard it, but it tickles me to no end!), I really like juggling six projects at once, but it can feel like I never finish anything when there is so much going on. So I'm trying very hard.

That being said, though, Halloween is in six days and my costume is not complete...no quilting for me until that is finished! Then, I will quilt my topper before doing any more work on the Holiday Lane pillow up in my sidebar. So hard! I have such a vision and I can't  wait to see it come together! 

Getting organized: week two

Last Monday I chronicled my plan to get organized with my sewing, a plan I am still trying to implement. 

So, what worked? Having project(s) prepped and cut was definitely helpful! It was exactly as I thought, and if there was something simple for me to work on, I worked on it! 

What I didn't expect, however, was that I found a lot of motivation to do other things. It was like my projects were energizing me, because I got so much more laundry, cleaning, and cooking done when I was sewing every day. Awesome!  

What I also didn't expect was to be gifted a Kindle for my birthday and getting to curl up and read an entire book this weekend! I haven't read a whole book in...I don't know how long! (I chose Water for Elephants for those of you wondering. Very good, but not very different from the movie, so I didn't much feel like I was gaining anything by having read it.  Though, the vintage circus photos at the beginning of every chapter were pretty cool!)

There are still some things that are not working with my sewing schedule. I'm still having trouble fitting in shopping on Saturdays and enough time on Sundays to cut everything I need for the week. As I predicted, when I ran out of easy to sew, prepped and cut projects I did not have time to prep and cut more (minus the super-simple hip holster for Victoria's Halloween costume, anyway). I have to do some thinking on this...

Hunger Games Clove DIY Costume Vest

Earlier in the week I posted that Victoria had decided to be Clove from the Hunger Games for Halloween. She looks like this:

Source: google.com via Melinda on Pinterest

We were able to find clothes to approximate a lot of this look, but the knife vest was a little trickier. I briefly considered sewing a vest from scratch, but, for less than the cost of a zipper at the fabric store I was able to get an old winter coat to turn into a vest. The coat part was important, because I was able to use perfectly matching fabric from the sleeves and hood I cut off to make knife pockets. 

The knife handles could be a little shorter, but these were available at the dollar store and stood out way better against the black vest than the $2 black handled knives at the party store, even if they were a better length. 

We tried hard to find a hunting type knife to put on her hip, but that's just not popular for Halloween costumes, so we ended up with an old looking dagger with a skull on the handle. I made a sheath for it from some embossed felt I found at the Hobby Lobby that looks just like tooled leather. 

It should be interesting to see how it all comes together on Halloween...and if anyone has any idea who she is! 

Zigzag table topper, almost finished!

On Monday I showed you a picture of a small stack of 4 1/2 inch squares on my sewing machine. Look at what I turned them into! 

This is going to be a topper for my sewing machine desk when it's done! I love how clean and modern it seems, even with all of the vintage looking fabrics I used! I really think this is going to inspire a lot of sewing projects having something I made, and love in my space. 

I have an idea of how I will be finishing it, but I need to work out a few specifics. Pictures of a completed topper soon! Along with pictures of the knife vest I made for my step-daughter Victoria's Halloween costume! 

Hunger Games Clove Halloween Costume for Girls

Source: google.com via Melinda on Pinterest

Has Hunger Games fever hit your house? It actually seems to be dying down here a little bit, but it was still first choice for Victoria's Halloween costume this year. Initially, she wanted to be Katniss, and I'm not sure what changed her mind, but by the time we went shopping she was all about Clove. I've spent a lot of time and dedicated a few Pinterest boards to this idea, so I thought I'd share what I've come up with and a couple ideas that may come in handy at your house, too! 

The basis of Clove's arena outfit are some basics that you may already have on hand, or that may not be unreasonable to buy if your daughter is the type who will wear these clothes regularly. 

Source: oldnavy.gap.com via Melinda on Pinterest

Some cargo pants in any shade of brown or olive. Victoria is strictly a leggings and jeggings girl, so ours were purchased for $1.49 at the thrift store, but these are way cute and totally reasonable! 

A maroon, deep red, or burgundy tee. Victoria says this has to be a v neck, but I am finding that pretty darn impossible. They don't make many plain tees for girls, let alone plain tees in red. Purple, pink, neon green? Sure. Red, maroon or burgundy, not so much. The best thing I have found so far are the unisex tees on Hanes.com. They come in both maroon and deep red and short and long sleeved. 

A matching windbreaker. Yeah, this one is hard too, again, not something they really make for girls and the reason I listed so many colors for the tee. I really think maroon is the best match to the movie look, but I dare you to try to find a maroon windbreaker! The best I have found is this deep red at LL Bean. 

Source: llbean.com via Melinda on Pinterest

That jacket is $35, though, and like the cute little cargo pants, probably totally worth it if your child would get a lot of wear out of it, but mine is picky about her clothes. I personally think the jacket is optional, especially for Clove who has the awesome vest of knives! 

Last, but not least we have the boots! I pinned quite a few under $30 that I thought walked a nice line between Hunger Games movie feel and everyday wear-ability. My number one pic is this $19.99 pair from e-Bay.

Source: ebay.com via Melinda on Pinterest

But, when I showed the board to Victoria she picked a similar pair in a faux suede as the ones she would actually wear to school after Halloween. So, as cute as I think they are, I'll be leaving these ones on e-Bay for your kids! 

This pretty much covers the stuff you can buy, now, what to do about that wicked knife vest? Stay tuned to see our solution! 

Learning to stipple

I have been trying hard to learn the basics of free motion quilting. I am still very, very new at it, but after I finished up this latest practice sandwich I realized that, as flawed as it was, I'd actually  be able to live with it on a quilt. Not love it, but live with it, especially on a real project where I'd take the time to baste! 

I think that I might possibly be ready to attempt a stipple on a quilt. Preferably one that I'm giving away so I don't sit and obsess over the flaws! 

Getting organized...I hope!

I have been reading other blogs and gathering ideas for awhile now, because I just don't feel productive. The baby is older, nursing less and entertaining herself more, yet sometimes I feel as overwhelmed with projects as I did when she was a newborn! 

My grand plan was to institute a schedule. It was a good plan made with work schedules and local business hours in mind. Friday was to be project planning day, where I would decide what I would do for the week and pull fabrics. Saturday was to be shopping day. If my particular project needed any fabric, thread, interfacing, etc. that I didn't have on hand, I would go shopping. Sunday was to be project prep day, where I would magically iron and cut all of my projects for the entire week on the day that the fabric stores were all closed. 

It is still a decent plan, but here's how it worked out. I planned out which projects to do last week early, as I was already past the cutting day when anyone was home to keep the kids occupied while I played with rotary blades. So I dreamed and plotted, just knowing how awesomely productive I was going to be. 

I already knew that I didn't need anything other than template plastic, so I decided not to go shopping Saturday. Sunday I realized that I hadn't pulled fabric to iron and cut, and that somewhere in the few days since I had compiled my project list, I had lost it. Nice! 

I fail completely at being organized. I still can't find that list! 

So it's Monday and a sewing day. I was supposed to have the fabric cut for a panda, two test quilt blocks, my table runner and part of my Holiday Lane pillow that's in the sidebar there. 

My table runner is cut, as are two houses for the pillow. The panda fabric, and the fabric for the test quilt blocks is ironed and will probably be wrinkled by the time I get back to it. But I'm not discouraged! I just need to find the schedule that works for me...hopefully sooner than later! 

Any tips for me? I'd love to hear them!